School Sucks
by sleepwell
Summary: Jeremy can't see the point of attending high school and going through the motions of being a 'typical' teen.  Especially when he has someone waiting for him elsewhere.  Slash.
1. First Period

Jeremy softly kicked the door shut with his heel. Pulling his hoodie further down over his face, he slunk across the back of the room to reach his desk. Slid his lengthy frame into the chair and prayed for invisibility. Not to be, of course. The bespectacled teacher stopped mid-sentence and glared across the rows of inattentive, bored teens at the eye-avoidant latecomer. Jeremy sighed inwardly and waited for the inevitable clichés. Right on cue, the teacher quipped, "Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Gilbert. To what do we owe this great honour?" Jeremy kept his eyes fixed on the desktop. "You are twenty minutes late. Did you stop at the office first?" Jeremy dragged himself to his feet and approached the front of the classroom holding out a pink slip of paper. "Missed my ride" he mumbled. "Hmm. Well, you've been missing your ride a lot lately, sir. I think this is the fourth time in the past couple of weeks that you've managed either to miss my class entirely or to arrive way past responsible. Do you have your assignment with you? The one that was due last Friday?" Jeremy shook his head slowly side-to-side and, trying for nonchalant, strolled back to his spot.

Rolling his eyes at his smirking classmates, Jeremy sank back into the uncomfortable, rather too small, mass-produced plastic chair. Pulling out a notebook, he began to doodle. A male profile emerged as the teacher continued to drone on about something. The pencil caricature was handsome in a sexy, devilish way. Dancing eyes. One eyebrow raised. Cocky grin. As Jeremy drew, his mind's eye was picturing that man. As Jeremy had left him a half hour ago. On the unmade bed. Naked. Smiling up at Jeremy, enticing him to ditch school with those wicked eyes and fake-pouting mouth. And Jeremy had resisted. Knew that if his school attendance became any worse, he would have to deal with super mom, Jenna, and cousin of the perma-furrowed brow, Elena.

Although, honestly, even the concept of attending high school in Mystic Falls did seem rather ridiculous. The town was proving to be a haven for otherworld creatures with life-threatening, ever present dramas circling and swirling around Jeremy, threatening to pull him under in an eddy of terror. It was hard to reconcile the constant undercurrent of nightmare with the more blatant horror that was high school. Jeremy couldn't remember the last time he gave a shit about vectors, dangling participles or the failings of the White House. And he was so past caring about 'fitting in', the drug scene or even getting decent grades.

Jeremy looked down at his drawing. Of course there was another reason for his mounting disdain of school and everything apparently normal. And that would be the man in this picture, or rather, the _vampire_ it depicted. Staring at the paper, Jeremy felt a flush start in his face and spread downward to his chest, his belly, and lower. Heat started to build as he remembered the events of that morning and his several aborted attempts to get to school on time. Jeremy absently fingered the buttons of the dark silky shirt he had on, imagining he was touching the owner of the garment. Noticed that the buttons didn't line up properly. Smiled fondly. That would be the vampire's fault…he had done up the shirt for Jeremy, all the while kissing the boy leaning over him, teasing him with his tongue. Whispering into his mouth, encouraging him to stay for the morning, to 'play' a little longer.

The bell blared, causing Jeremy to jolt up. Christ. Now how was he going to stand up without revealing where his mind had been, how he clearly wasn't thinking about where the world's most active volcanoes resided? He remained in his seat as the class emptied, willing himself to think mundane thoughts. Like what he was going to say to Bonnie about ditching her last night after the movie. Or to Elena about not coming home. He unpacked his length from the cramped desk space and casually loped out of the room, ignoring the teacher reminding him yet again to hand in his wayward assignment. Made his way to his locker, shoved in his backpack and managed to locate his gym shorts and shoes buried at the bottom of the metallic container. Jumped as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.


	2. Second Period

_OK. Let's see if this story has legs. Let me know!_

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_Jeremy turned into Bonnie's somewhat awkward embrace. He tried to return the hug while juggling his shorts, T shirt and shoes and succeeded only in dropping gym gear everywhere. "Oh" laughed Bonnie "Sorry. I just thought I'd try some PDA now that Elena has given us her 'stamp of approval'. And speaking of, here she comes." Bonnie peered around Jeremy to smile at his quickly approaching, not-to-happy–looking relative. Jeremy held his breath and waited for the inevitable, verbal onslaught.

"Jeremy, you didn't come home last night. Again. I had to make up some bull crap story to cover for you this morning. I told Jenna you had an early art meeting thing. Luckily for you she's distracted. Where the hell were you?" Jeremy shrugged. Elena glanced towards Bonnie. "He didn't stay with you did he? Because that's probably not a good idea. Jeremy needs to be a bit more focused on school." Bonnie' expression moved quickly from surprised to pissed. Jeremy closed his eyes. Opened them to shake his head at Elena over Bonnie's shoulder. He couldn't imagine that Bonnie would appreciate being scolded by her best friend. Or that she would enjoy being reminded that her boyfriend was younger and was still actively being over parented by every female in his life. "Gotta get to class" he managed, hurriedly picking up his scattered clothing items. He sped away, leaving the two girls looking rather uncomfortably at each other.

Jeremy entered the change room and sat down to undress. Undid the misaligned buttons. Paused to pull the collar of 'his' shirt up to his nose. Breathed in that sweet, sharp smell that was…"Dude. You have got some serious hickies there. Nice." The short, chubby, half dressed sixteen year old was pointing to Jeremy's chest. His gesture and words caused other heads to turn. Jeremy quickly pulled the shirt off and threw on his gym shirt, ignoring the knowing smiles and remarks of the other teen aged boys in the room. Shorts and shoes later, he exited the school building, picked up speed and headed out onto the track.

Neither of them had meant for it to happen. It wasn't planned, pre-conceived. No fervent looks were exchanged in passing, there had been no eye fucking or surreptitious handclasps or knee bumps under tables. In fact, ending up alone in the boarding house had been a sheer fluke, a coincidence that had left Jeremy feeling apprehensive, not due to clairvoyance, but rather, because he was rarely alone in the company of the vampire and wasn't sure how to proceed. And in the end, the evening had unfolded like nothing Jeremy could ever have foreseen.

As he jogged around the oval path, Jeremy's mind relived that first time. The night he crossed a line. A few lines. The vampire's aloofness washed away by an inane teen drinking game that Jeremy had suggested somewhat out of panic. An attempt to interact with the immortal on a lighter level, to for one night ignore the dangers surrounding them and the ones they loved. And they both had become deliciously drunk. Jeremy wasn't used to drinking high-end scotch, hell, he wasn't used to consuming anything other than warm beer drank in haste in the dark. This was different. As the evening progressed, another game was suggested. Poker. Which somehow became strip poker.

And then their clothes were off. All off. And Jeremy was staring at the most beautiful body that he had ever seen. Male or female. He was transfixed, mesmerized. Couldn't remember who moved first. Who reached for whom. Whose hands first made contact. Whose eyes initially blazed with a passion threatening to engulf them both. And then came the heat. The all-consuming, white hot, blazing heat that burned on and on. A hard mouth. Hard, roaming hands. Hard bodies crashing into each other. Jeremy wanted it all. Wanted it in a way he'd never wanted anything before. He wanted this body above his, under his, and in his.

And since that night, there had been others. Difficult to come by but neither were prepared to end what had ignited and exploded between them. Both continually eager for the next encounter but not prepared to bring what was theirs into the light. To do so would end too much. Would start too much.

Jeremy stood in the tepid shower, listening to the banter around him, typical teen talk of girls, getting laid, homework and after school jobs. Briefly felt alone, lonely. Then thought of the older male laying abed, waiting for him to return. The lunch bell rang and Jeremy practically vaulted into his clothes, eager to return to the boarding house. Left the change room with eager anticipation. Only to literally run into Elena, again.


	3. Lunch Period

_Here is next installment. Half way through the school day!

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"Jer, sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have given you shit in front of Bonnie. I wasn't thinking." Jeremy shrugged and continued walking, eager to get the heck out of the school. Before too much of the lunch period was gone. But Elena wasn't to be deterred. "I was hoping you and I could have lunch. You know, some family bounding. To catch up? I thought it would be a good time, seeing as how Stefan and Damon are away on some John-related mission." Jeremy coughed suddenly, involuntarily. " Well," he thought, "She has that half right." Although out loud he simply responded, "Right. Sorry. No can do. I'm meeting someone in town for lunch. Maybe tomorrow?" He practically ran down the hall, away from the confused and somewhat crushed looking girl.

He was breathless by the time he reached the door of the large house. Didn't bother to knock. He knew that his arrival had been noted. That he was anticipated, welcomed, wanted. Climbed the steps eagerly, two at a time. Entered the inner sanctum. Stood at the foot of the bed. He was as Jeremy had left him. Naked. Glorious. Lying on his side, cheek resting on hand, leaning on bended elbow. A red rose held between his teeth. Jeremy snorted back a laugh. "Seriously?"

"What? " Demanded the vampire, "I was going for sexy. Debonair. Tastefully seductive. Not working for you?" In response, Jeremy hastily shed his clothes and jumped onto the bed. On top of the now reclined, resplendent male. Gently removed the flower from those lips, those perfect, splendid lips. Lips that now rose to meet his with a hunger and emotion hat belied the man's infamous persona. That of cold, calculating bastard. Ruthless, thoughtless killer.

Jeremy ran his hands down the vampire's hard chest. Reached for the testament of his power over this over worldly being. The ability he, Jeremy, had to impassion a man who had, for the most part, sworn off human emotional entanglements. Who claimed he could remain aloof from any form of investment in human kind. He grew hard in Jeremy's hand. Jeremy couldn't resist a grin. Every time. It was like this every time. Jeremy felt empowered, encouraged. He traced light, feathery kisses down the vampire's chest. And lower. His kisses becoming harder, more urgent. Opened his mouth wider. Closed around the hot, pulsing cock. Formed a tight circle with his mouth and began to lick, suck, pull. Was rewarded with a low growl, fingers threading into his hair, hips under him slowly rocking.

Jeremy lay back on the pillows, the vampire now looking down at him. With a mischievous grin, a glint in his eye that promised something dirty. Something hot. Something that would leave Jeremy just as powerless as the other male had been minutes before. And then Jeremy's eye caught the time displayed on that treacherous clock. "Shit" he exclaimed, pushing out from underneath. "I'm going to be late for art. And I've already taken so much crap about school today." Jeremy awkwardly hopped into his pants, found his shirt under the bed and ran down the stairs with his shoes in hand. Opened the front door. His path blocked by the vampire, already dressed and looking perfectly groomed, relaxed. As if he hadn't just been gasping for air, moaning Jeremy's name, arching his back in desire. "I'll drive you to school" he grinned, "Wouldn't want you to get detention."


	4. Third Period

_Thanks for the latest reviews. I was beginning to fear my story was alone in the universe!  


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Jeremy ran through the deserted, echoing halls. Despite the mad driving skills of his debonair chauffeur, Jeremy had arrived at the school entrance after the bell had sounded. Deciding against a locker pit stop, he continued on to the only class that made school bearable for him, art. He slid into the quiet room, his entrance not going unnoticed. His teacher looked up, her expression inscrutable.

"Jeremy. You are fifteen minutes late. Is everything OK?" Jeremy nodded and pulled out his project. A detailed, pencil sketch. Of a dark, mystical creature. Beautiful. Yet horrific, demonic in nature. It had become a theme in Jeremy's work. An unattainable figure, desirable yet otherworldly, distant. The vampire of Jeremy's dreams, the man of his reality.

He recognized this obsession for what it was. An impossibility, a fantasy of what passion and belonging could be. He knew he could never truly be with this immortal; that what they shared was doomed before it had even begun. But Jeremy didn't know what to do with what he was experiencing. The feelings that now lasted beyond the moments in bed. The need to return to the vampire as quickly as he left him. The happiness he felt when they talked, teased, spent time playing video games. He wasn't sure exactly what these burgeoning emotions were. He wondered if these sentiments were reciprocated. He suspected they were. The mocking, vengeful vampire appeared less and less when the two were together. This Salvatore descendant whispered in Jeremy's ear, caressed him, held him closer than necessary, watched Jeremy from across a public room, lit up in Jeremy's presence. He became softer, more human every time.

Jeremy startled when a hand landed on his shoulder. His pencil jolted heavily across the page, marring the perfect cheekbone he had been shading. "Sorry" his teacher quickly added, "I didn't mean to scare you. You really are a million miles away. I've asked the class to pair up and critique each other's work. Sarah is waiting for you." Jeremy turned awkwardly in his seat to face the girl behind him. The heavily made up scene girl gave the boy an awkward smile. "I really like your stuff, Jer." Her voice was hesitant, soft. "You totally capture emotion in your creatures. They look scary yet sexy and sad at the same time. Like they want to be with people but are angry at the human race."

Jeremy sighed. His mind returned to his musings. Thought of that first morning he had woken up in bed with the vampire. No longer drunk. No clothes on. Bite marks trailing down his chest to his inner thighs. Aching body. Aching in a good way. A _really, really_ good way. But not a sensation he had ever experienced. Jeremy had felt the blush starting, spreading. Embarrassment had set in as memories of the previous night's events flooded back.

Recalled his lack of inhibition with the vampire. The way he'd touched that chiseled body, explored unfamiliar territory. Jeremy had never touched another male intimately. Found he liked the angles, the hardness of this man. It had been heady, arousing in him an urgency, a hunger for the other's body and touch. And the more turned on he had become, the greater the excitement he appeared to generate in this unexpected partner. The resulting physical chemistry had culminated in an evening that extended beyond any sexual encounter that Jeremy had ever experienced or could have imagined. Perhaps the vampire would now laugh at Jeremy, mock his inexperience and his zealous response to this gloriously sexy man.

Almost as if he could read the boy's mind, the vampire had turned Jeremy's face towards his. His smile had been goofy, affectionate, his eyes light. "Whoops" he had chirped, "Well, this could be awkward. For you, I mean. I'm perfectly OK with what happened. In fact, more than OK. You are a surprising specimen, young Gilbert. An exquisite combination of innocence, curiosity and bawdiness. Exactly how I like my sexual partners." If possible, Jeremy's blush had deepened. But he had risen to the challenge. Had chosen to respond to the banter in kind. "And _you_ are exactly how I like my sexual partners. Older. Much, _much_ older. And therefore more experienced. So, thanks for taking advantage of that 'teachable moment'." The vampire had laughed.

The bell rang, drawing Jeremy back and saving him the need to respond to the hopeful teenager's comments about his artwork. He quickly stowed away his drawing and left the classroom, anxious to text the object of his preoccupation. Jesus. Elena again. Enough already. Was she frigging stalking him now? "What?" he practically shouted at his cousin. "Do you _not_ need to be somewhere?" Jeremy wasn't clear as to why he was so irritated by the girl. He just knew that she was seriously getting on his nerves. Continuing to move quickly, Jeremy approached his locker and the awaiting Bonnie. Elena was talking but he wasn't hearing what she was saying. This was turning into a very bad school day.


	5. Fourth Period

_Thanks again for all your support. Your reviews keep me going! I'm not actually sure how this story will end yet and the school day is almost over...!_

A/N My thoughts go out to all those affected around the world by the events of March 11th. _  
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Math. Final dreaded class of the day. A crap teacher. Befitting of a crap subject. Jeremy would be failing if it weren't for the tutoring. The tutoring that had become the cover for spending time with the vampire. It was an excuse that Elena, Jenna and even the Salvatore sibling had bought. Although the trio remained skeptical as to the motivation behind the usually self-absorbed, less than altruistic being's sudden willingness to lend a hand to a teenager in danger of repeating advanced placement high school math.

Only minutes in, Jeremy stopped trying to follow the patois emitting from the gangly, ancient human calculator at the front of the room. Decided he needed to go to the bathroom. Put up his hand. Was given the 'nod' from the droning Einstein who didn't pause in his dissertation on some formula that did something when x equaled y.

Jeremy put in his ear buds, blared Metallica, and slowly made his way to the boy's washroom furthest from his classroom. Zipping up, he turned directly into a familiar chest. "Shit" he exclaimed, heart pounding, "You _have_ to stop doing that. I'll drop dead one of these times. Heart attack." The vampire kissed Jeremy on the nose. Ignored the admonishment. "I thought those two sodas you guzzled in the car were _never_ going to kick in. You must have the bladder of a camel." The next kiss landed awkwardly on Jeremy's open mouth. Jeremy pulled back. "What exactly are you doing here? Aren't you worried that someone might see you with me? In a high school bathroom? How am I supposed to explain that? Besides, you're not even supposed to be in _town_." A raised eyebrow was his only response. Silence. Jeremy sighed.

"Sorry. Elena's freaking out on me. Wants to know where I'm 'disappearing to all the time', why I didn't come home last night. She thought I was with Bonnie. Until Bonnie told her I wasn't. Now they're both on my case. It's getting to be a real pain in the ass. Lying to her. Avoiding her." Jeremy paused. The vampire's expression was inscrutable. "So" he finally said leaning in close to Jeremy, "Tell her where you've been. What you've been doing."

"Tell her _what_ exactly? That I'm so into math that I'm spending all my time with you? That I fell asleep on the couch following a tough math tutoring session? Don't think she'll buy it. I could tell her I was at a friend's. If I had a friend. She's probably thinking I'm into drugs again. But I guess that's better than her finding out the truth."

The other male's face remained still as he spat out, "The _truth_? You mean the fact that you're fucking me? Would the upsetting part of that truth be that it's a _vampire_ you're fucking or that it's this _particular_ vampire?" The tone was ice cold. The words dripped with something. Anger? Hurt? Jeremy couldn't tell. But he did know he had crossed a line. The line the two had been straddling for some time now. The unspoken boundary of what this 'thing' between them was and what it was becoming. Something that neither had been willing to look at together. Because to talk about it out loud would signify the end of whatever this thing was. Jeremy knew that. He wasn't ready.

"You know what I mean. Elena and the others are never gonna let this happen. They are not going to let me be with you. You'll get so much grief and I'll be lectured ad nauseam. They'll make sure we are never alone together. Ever. I'll be on twenty-four hour surveillance; you'll be accused of trying to get to Elena, trying to sabotage the 'master plan', trying to hurt me. Whatever. I can just picture the 'bonding', brooding and non-stop whispering as they try to scheme us apart." Jeremy abruptly stopped his rant. The vampire was now grinning, his expression highly amused. He reached out and ran a hand through Jeremy's hair, ruffling it as one would a young child's. Jeremy twisted his head out of reach. "What's so fucking funny?"

"You are. You're just so _cute_ when you're riled up. Adorable even. So indignant. But let me get this straight. You're _not_ worried that people will find out you're having sex with a male vampire. It's the fact that you won't be _allowed_ to have sex with a male vampire that bothers you. Have I got it right?"

Jeremy looked at the ostensibly smug face before him. Debated. Decided against further conversation. Leaned in with a hard, urgent kiss. Which was returned instantly. Tongues clashed. Jeremy backed the other male into a washroom stall. Turned him, pushing up against the door, shutting it with the vampire's body. Fumbled with the pant zipper. Jeremy's hands were slapped away. Cool, firm hands came up under his shirt. Roamed quickly down his torso. Jeremy's pants were undone. He was being touched, caressed, stroked. His breathing quickened and he thought his knees might give out. As if reading his mind, the vampire moved behind Jeremy and gently pushed him forward. Jeremy's forehead rested on the door as the vampire continued his firm, fast, fist pumping. Jeremy braced himself with his arms as his hips began to move almost involuntarily, thrusting back into the hardness of the other male. "That's it," the vampire whispered into Jeremy's ear, "Show me how much you like this. How much you want this. Come for me." And Jeremy did.


	6. Detention

_One more chapter to go after this one! I'm still not clear on the ending but I'm getting there. Thanks for reading along and the reviews. I'm re-watching Season One of the VD and I'm loving Jeremy Gilbert more and more! (Damon too, he reminds me a little of Brian Kinney from QAF!)_

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The vampire had cuddled him, cleaned him up and sent him back to class. Although apparently not fast enough. His annoyed math teacher had met him at the door only to escort him to the principal's office. And to make matters worse, evidently teachers _do_ talk to each other. Jeremy's two lates of the day, plus his prolonged absence from math landed him in detention.

And there he sat, annoyed and frustrated. Bored. Looked longingly at his Ipod sitting on the teacher's desk at the front of the room. Even that distraction had been denied him. Jeremy stared around at the other students. Didn't recognize any of them except a girl from his first period class. She smiled at him and pulled a face. Jeremy briefly returned the grin and went back to drawing in his math book.

A recognizable, seductive voice at the front of the classroom caused him to quickly glance up. "Hello" purred the vampire, looking deeply into the eyes of the slightly startled teacher, "I'm here to tutor young Jeremy Gilbert. He has a math test tomorrow and the principal felt it important that I keep our scheduled appointment. Wouldn't want to see him fail, would we now? I'll just work with him at the back until detention is over. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" The teacher slowly shook her head side to side.

The familiar figure glided towards Jeremy and plunked himself down in the seat just ahead of the boy. Turning, he practically smirked at the teenager, "And I thought we were trying to _avoid_ detention." Jeremy grimaced, "Well, your little visit to the washroom didn't help." "Oh" was the reply, "On the contrary, I think it helped a _great_ deal." They both laughed, Jeremy rolling his eyes at the vampire. "So what are you doing here? You can't seriously want to hang out in detention."

The vampire's expression turned serious. "I think you and I need to have a talk. Where we can't get side tracked, can't end up having sex instead of a conversation." Jeremy frowned, "That's very unlike you. You _always_ want to have sex. And you hate conversation." An eyebrow was raised in response. "True enough. But I want things to be clear between us. About what is going on. Or rather, what _isn't_ going on."

Jeremy's heart started to pound. Knew that the loud beating would be heard. Tried to calm himself. This was the dreaded 'talk' he had tried to avoid earlier in the washroom. The one that would end things. Start things. And not the kind of things he wanted to start. Things that were better avoided. And the vampire had known that Jeremy would be trapped here in the classroom, that he couldn't leave in a huff or kiss his way out of the inevitable. He sighed. "OK. So you don't want to keep seeing me. I get it. You didn't need to come here to tell me that. The 'personal touch' really isn't your style. You could have just snarled at me or sent a text."

The vampire held Jeremy's gaze. He spoke clearly and slowly to the younger man. "You said yourself why this 'thing' between us is doomed. I think you even missed a few major points, such as the fact that I'm, um, I don't know, _dead_. I'm not a nice person. I can't develop feelings for humans. I'm a predator. And so on. Elena and Stefan would be right. I'm _not_ good for you. I _would_ hurt you. Or, at the very least, place you in danger. "And," the immortal paused, sighed dramatically and continued, " I'm concerned that you are beginning to develop feelings for me. That this isn't any longer just a good time, great sex, a distraction. I can hear your heart beat faster when you first see me; I've seen the way you look at me, you are spending _way_ too much time with me, and I can practically _smell_ your happiness. It really has to stop."

Jeremy should have felt hurt, crushed. But he didn't. Because he knew, just knew, that the vampire was lying. Jeremy was now even more convinced. That what he had been wondering was true. That this seemingly impenetrable man had feelings for him, for Jeremy. That he was talking about himself, not just how _Jeremy_ was acting. And he knew, just knew, that the vampire _didn't_ want things to stop. Anymore than Jeremy did. That he wanted what Jeremy did, a real relationship. One that involved emotions, acknowledged, spoken-out-loud human emotions. An acknowledged relationship that others knew about, that their families came to accept with time. Because what the two shared was real. He just knew it. And he knew that is what Damon thought too. So, he said as much. Out loud. And waited for the reaction.


	7. Extracurricular Activities

_Final chapter. Thanks for reading along. Reviews always welcome. I'm off to try my hand at a Damon/Stefan pairing..._

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_The vampire's hands tightened around Jeremy's neck. Jeremy twisted his head from side to side, attempting to loosen the almost death-like grip. "Damon" he gasped "I can't breathe." The fingers wrapping his throat relaxed only slightly. Jeremy felt fangs pierce the ridge of his collarbone. He moaned. Shivered. Slow, sensuous tongue lapping instantly erased the pain. Jeremy moaned again. Arched his back.

The strong hands left his throat to capture Jeremy's. He was pinned, unable to move. The vampire began sliding his body along Jeremy's. Roughly, agonizingly. They were both naked. Lying on the bed. The sheets tangled, twisted, blankets lying on the floor in a heap amidst clothing. It was getting dark outside but the passing of time had gone unnoticed by the two males. Jeremy couldn't even remember leaving detention, school.

Damon lifted his head, retracted his fangs, and began to kiss Jeremy. The boy's mouth opened. He could taste his own metallic, sharp blood lingering on the vampire's lips and tongue. Sucked, swallowed. Damon released his grasp. Moved into a crouch between Jeremy' legs. Lifted Jeremy's hips. Entered the willing mortal. Time passed in a haze of pleasure, passion and heat. The vampire surrounded Jeremy, the boy's human senses alternately teased, tormented, gratified. He lost himself in Damon's touch, in their need for each other.

Jeremy lifted his head from the vampire's shoulder. "I thought we were going to my place. To talk to Elena and Jenna. They're not going to be impressed that I'm MIA again." Damon made a sound of displeasure. "Yeah, family dinner sounded like a good idea_ before_ you jumped me. Now it sounds like something that can wait until tomorrow. Or the next day. Or even the day after that. I'm not really in a hurry to face the wrath of Hal Roach's Little Rascals." Jeremy pulled himself into a semi-seated position.

Leaning over the vampire he whispered, "Say it again." "What?" whispered back the other man, somewhat theatrically, "What do you want to hear?" Jeremy shook his head in a negative motion. Pouted. Waited. "That you're cute? That you turn me on? That I love fucking you?" Jeremy laughed. Shook his head again. Waited. "That you drive me crazy? That I want you, need you?" Jeremy smiled. Waited. "That I'm willing to tell the world about us? That there is an '_us_'? That maybe the risks of attempting to be with a human are worth it if that person is you? That, danger aside, I can't imagine things going back to the way they were? Before you, before I lived for your smile, your touch, your…." Damon faltered. Jeremy waited. "For your love? Is that what you want to hear me say? That I love you?" Jeremy nodded. Waited.

Damon looked up at Jeremy. For what felt like an eternity, those blue eyes studied him, seemed to pierce through into his soul. Jeremy felt raw, open. Held his ground. Waited. Then. Finally. The words he once thought the vampire incapable of feeling, of saying. The words that made his world make sense. Held him together. That made life worth living. "I love you Jeremy. For always. "


End file.
